Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert is a critical theorist of religion and society from Frankfurt, Germany. At the age of 15, he was drafted in the Luftwaffe (German Air Force), and later fought in the Wehrmacht (German Army). Nevertheless, having been a part of the Catholic Youth Movement, he remained opposed to the Nazi war goals. Upon being captured by the American Army, he was taken back to the United States as a prisoner of war. In the P.O.W. camp, he was introduced to the Frankfurt School for Social Research, and eventually sent back to Germany to help democratize it. Later, in the 1960s, after having studied theology, history, psychology, literature, and philosophy, he returned to the United States to begin teaching on the east coast. In 1965 he accepted a position in the Department of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University, where he has taught for 54 years. Dr. Siebert, now in his 90s, has taken what he calls an “early” retirement from teaching as of August 2019, but continues to write and publish on the Critical Theory of Religion and Society.

In these podcasts, produced by Rob Byrd’s Moondog Saturday Morning Show, Dr. Dustin J. Byrd interviews his Doktorvater (Doctor-Father), Rudolf J. Siebert, about his long and assorted biography. From Frankfurt to Kalamazoo, from one war to the next, it’s all here:

Life and Times of Rudolf J. Siebert – Part 1

Life and Times of Rudolf J. Siebert – Part 2

Life and Times of Rudolf J. Siebert – Part 3

Here’s an article about Rudolf J. Siebert and his service in World War II (Western Herald)

WMU Professor “did his duty to protect citizens” in Germany during World War II

Seyed Javad Miri and I are pleased to announce that our new co-edited volume, Frantz Fanon and Emancipatory Social Theory: A View from the Wretched, is scheduled to be released in September of 2019 by Brill. Book Information Here

In this book we bring together a collection of essays by a variety of scholars who explore the lasting influence of Frantz Fanon, psychiatrist, revolutionary, and social theorist. Fanon’s work not only gave voice to the “wretched” in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962), but also shaped the radical resistance to colonialism, empire, and racism throughout much of the world. His seminal works, such as Black Skin, White Masks, and The Wretched of the Earth, were read by The Black Panther Party in the United States, anti-imperialists in Africa and Asia, and anti-monarchist revolutionaries in the Middle East. Today, many revolutionaries and scholars have returned to Fanon’s work, as it continues to shed light on the nature of colonial domination, racism, and class oppression.

Additionally, we were especially pleased to have had Mumia Abu-Jamal join us in this project. Due to his continual unjust incarceration, it is made exceedingly difficult by the American incarceral state to have his work published. Nevertheless, Mumia is an important interpreter of Frantz Fanon and they cannot silence his truth. In this volume, Mumia has written about the influence of Frantz Fanon on the Black Panther Party. Free Mumia

Contributors include: Mumia Abu-Jamal, Syed Farid Alatas, Rose Brewer, Dustin J. Byrd, Sean Chabot, Richard Curtis, Nigel C. Gibson, Ali Harfouch, Timothy Kerswell, Seyed Javad Miri, Pramod K. Nayar, Elena Flores Ruíz, Majid Sharifi, Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib and Esmaeil Zeiny.

Dr. Rudolf J. Siebert’s 2014 lectures on Erich Fromm, entitled “Erich Fromm’s Social Psychology Today,” have been added to the Rudolf J. Siebert Audio-Visual Archive on YouTube. Click here

The Muslim World journal (Wiley), published by Hartford Seminary, just released their latest edition, dedicated to the memory of the 800 year anniversary of the meeting between Saint Francis of Assisi and the Ayyubid Sultan Malik al-Kamil. I was given the honor of contributing to this endeavor with my article “To be a Saint and a Sultan in a Post-Secular Society: Translating a Thirteenth Century Religious Discourse in order to Rescue the Modern World.” This edition of the journal, Vol. 109 Issue 1-2 January/April, was edited by Jason Welle, Dean of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (Rome, Italy), and Dr. Fareed Munir, Professor of Religious Studies at Siena College, NY.

My essay can be found here:

To be a Saint and a Sultan

It has been officially announced by Olivet College that I’ll be on Sabbatical in the fall semester of 2019. See the article here: Sabbatical

Also, see the story Olivet College posted about my recent travel class to Italy. See the article here: Popes, Saints, and Sinners in Italy

Here’s another story Olivet College did on me recently: Five Minutes with Dustin J. Byrd

On October 5th, 2018, I was honored to received Western Michigan University’s Alumni Achievement Award for my work in Comparative Religion. It was an honor to join Dr. Stephen Covell, the Chair of WMU’s Comparative Religion Department, and Dr. Carla Koretsky, Dean of WMU’s Arts and Sciences, at the ceremony and the subsequent dinner. WMU continues to be a world class institution with amazing scholars in the field of Religious Studies. See their link below.

WMU Department of Comparative Religion

To view the information on the other recipients, see the link below:

WMU Alumni Achievement Award 2018